EP0368775A1 - Machine for cleaning objects - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a machine for cleaning objects, such as electrical and/or electronic components, in particular disposed on a "printed circuit" or similar type support. The machine (1) for cleaning enables the said objects to be subjected to a cleaning then a drying and comprises: - two independently closed, treatment enclosures (3, 4), the first being equipped with means (7) for cleaning the said objects, the second being provided with means (8) for drying the said cleaned objects, - at least one support basket (5) for the said objects to be cleaned, capable of being placed in the first and/or the second enclosure, - means (6) for transferring the said support basket (5) from one enclosure to the other and/or vice versa (3, 4). <IMAGE>

Description

The invention relates to a machine for cleaning objects, such as electrical and / or electronic components, in particular arranged on a support of the "printed circuit" type or the like. It will find its application in particular in the field of construction of electrical and / or electronic equipment.

In this field, many machines, devices or devices are increasingly using circuits for electrical and / or electronic components for their operation. These are generally arranged and wired on supports of the "printed circuit" type or the like.

European standardization has meant that these increasingly used electrical or electronic circuits are produced industrially.

In fact, machines are known for producing these electronic cards in series, which make it possible to minimize the workforce and reduce the cost price. On these printed circuits or the like, the components are generally soldered, these solderings being carried out automatically, for example by a technique called "wave soldering".

During these welds, a resinous flux is used which promotes soldering but which must be cleaned after soldering and before using the card of electrical and / or electronic components.

For this, we know machines for cleaning such cards of electrical and / or electronic components which use the freon treatment in which liquid freon is vaporized at a temperature close to 40 ° C., this vaporization distributing the freon over the whole of the card to be treated and destroying in particular the resin which was used for the soldering.

The use of such a technique is in certain cases satisfactory but is not without presenting numerous drawbacks. A first drawback is of ecological type because with respect to the environment, it is known that freon destroys ozone from the atmosphere.

On a technical level, it is sometimes essential to mount electrical and / or electronic components on the cards which do not withstand freon treatment. In this case, the said components must be fitted after the card cleaning which must then be resumed with wiring followed by resumption of manual cleaning.

The object of the present invention is to provide a machine for cleaning objects, such as electrical and / or electronic components, in particular arranged on a support of the "printed circuit" type or the like, in which said objects are subjected to a treatment which is other than freon treatment in order to overcome the drawbacks of this technique.

One of the aims of the present invention is to provide such an object cleaning machine which makes it possible to carry out their cleaning sequentially, in particular with demineralized water, then their drying without harming said objects.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a cleaning machine which is compact and which allows the treatment of small and medium series in an admissible time.

In this regard, thanks to the structure of the present invention, the drying is carried out in masked time, that is to say that the machine allows the drying of a series of previously cleaned cards while another series is in phase. of cleaning.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a cleaning machine which is not degrading for the environment and the atmosphere and which avoids the deterioration of the electrical and / or electronic components during treatment.

This will avoid any rework of wiring and subsequent cleaning, wiring can be completed in one step and cleaning allowed on all components.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will appear during the description which follows which is however given only for information and which is not intended to limit it.

According to the present invention, the machine for cleaning objects, such as electrical and / or electronic components in particular arranged on a support of the “printed circuit” type or the like, in which said objects are subjected to cleaning and drying, is characterized by the fact that it comprises:
two independent closed treatment chambers, the first being equipped with means for cleaning said objects, the second being provided with means for drying said cleaned objects,
- at least one basket supporting said objects to be cleaned, suitable for being placed in the first and / or second enclosure,
- Means for transferring said support basket from one enclosure to the other and / or vice versa.

• La figure 1 montre une vue en perspective de la machine de nettoyage d'objets de la présente invention.
• La figure 2 montre une vue en perspective de face de la machine de nettoyage d'objets de la présente invention en position ouverte.
• La figure 3 montre une vue schématique de profil de la machine de la présente invention en position ouverte illustrant l'enceinte de nettoyage.
• La figure 4 montre une vue schématique de profil de la cuve de séchage en position fermée.
• La figure 5 illustre une vue de dessus selon l'axe V-V de la figure 3, le panier support d'objets étant ôté.
• La figure 6 montre une vue schématique d'un détail de la machine de la présente invention permettant de rendre l'ouverture des enceintes de nettoyage et de séchage possible.

The present invention will be better understood on reading the following description accompanied by the accompanying drawings which form an integral part thereof.

• Figure 1 shows a perspective view of the object cleaning machine of the present invention.
• Figure 2 shows a front perspective view of the object cleaning machine of the present invention in the open position.
• Figure 3 shows a schematic profile view of the machine of the present invention in the open position illustrating the cleaning enclosure.
• Figure 4 shows a schematic profile view of the drying tank in the closed position.
• Figure 5 illustrates a top view along the axis VV of Figure 3, the object support basket being removed.
• Figure 6 shows a schematic view of a detail of the machine of the present invention for making the opening of the cleaning and drying chambers possible.

The present invention relates to a machine for cleaning objects. It will in particular find its application for the cleaning of electrical and / or electronic components in particular arranged on a support of the “printed circuits” type or the like.

Indeed, it will allow the cleaning and drying of such cards equipped with components after their wiring without being harmful to the environment or to the components.
Unlike the known technique for cleaning such circuits, using the spraying of freon to destroy the resin from the resinous flux used when soldering the components to the printed circuit, the cleaning machine of the present invention uses cleaning, in particular with demineralized water, followed by drying without prejudice to the components.

The cleaning is carried out by spraying water for a predetermined time depending on the dimensions and the needs of the cleaning, time which can be between 2 and 15 minutes per example.

Then, a drying of the objects thus cleaned is carried out using heated air which has been stirred to increase the drying efficiency. The drying phase is also dependent on the cleaning conditions and can vary for example from 2 to 15 minutes at a temperature ranging from 30 to 80 ° C.

These steps can be implemented in the cleaning machine 1 such as an embodiment is illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2.

It consists of a frame 2 supporting two treatment chambers 3 and 4, closed and independent of one another, respectively constituting a cleaning chamber 3 and a drying chamber 4.

In this regard, the first enclosure 3 is equipped with means 7 for cleaning said objects, while the second drying enclosure 4 is in turn equipped with means 8 for drying said cleaned objects. These means will be described in detail later.

In addition, the machine 1 comprises at least one support basket 5 of said objects to be cleaned, suitable for being placed in the first and / or second enclosures 3, 4, as well as transfer means 6 of said support basket 5 from enclosure 3 or 4 towards each other, or vice versa.

FIGS. 3 and 4 show in more detail, but schematically, the respective construction of the cleaning 3 and drying 4 chambers.

Each of said closed and independent enclosures 3, 4 is constituted by a tank defining a lower cavity 9, 9 ′ and an upper cavity 10, 10 ′ delimited by a laying plane 11, 11 ′ of said support basket 5 of the objects to be cleaned .

More precisely, in the fixed frame 2, said lower cavities 9, 9 ′ are provided and there are above these said lower cavities two removable bells 12, 12 ′, in order to define said cleaning and drying tanks 3 4.

In the example shown in the figures, it should be noted that said tanks 3 and 4 are advantageously arranged side by side. As regards their structures, they may be made of metal, such as stainless steel for example, or of molded synthetic material.

As for the transfer means 6, they are constituted at least by a rolling and / or sliding path allowing the positioning of said support basket 5 of objects inside the cleaning enclosure 3, then to inside the drying enclosure 4, by translation of the basket 5 manual or even mechanized.

In the embodiment illustrated in the figures, this rolling and / or sliding path is advantageously constituted by L-shaped angles 13 to 16.

Also, the raceway is discontinuous to allow the closure of the enclosures 3, 4 and allow a certain seal as appropriate during the treatment phase.

However, the angles 13 to 16 will be arranged substantially in the same plane to allow the transfer by simple sliding of the basket 5. At the central portion 17 between the tanks 3 and 4, the angles will advantageously be flared to favor the guidance of the basket and facilitate its introduction either on the slides 13, 14 of the enclosure 3, or on the slides 15, 16 of the enclosure 4.

In this case, the transfer means 6 thus formed advantageously define said laying plane 11 or 11 '. Nevertheless, it could be envisaged without departing from the scope of the present invention to provide the laying plan at another level in said tanks 3 and 4.

It should be noted that the angles 13, 14, 15, 16 can be replaced by two angles over the entire length; in this case, enclosures 3 and 4 must be cut to ensure closure.

As regards the cleaning means 7, they are in particular constituted by at least one rotary cleaning arm 18, suitable for spraying the said objects to be cleaned which are subject thereto, at least with demineralized water, placed under the objects in the lower cavity 9.

To increase the cleaning efficiency, a second cleaning arm 19 is advantageously provided, placed in the upper cavity 10.

It should be noted that one could also consider providing a machine having a cleaning enclosure equipped only a spray arm 19 provided in the upper cavity 10; or any other static or rotary spraying device known to those skilled in the art.

As regards the production of the rotary cleaning arms 18, 19, they will advantageously consist of arms of the "dishwasher" type supplied by a pump 20 or by tubes not provided with holes. Furthermore, the wastewater will be evacuated to the lower part of the lower cavity 9, for example by a drain pump 21.

As regards the drying means 8, they will advantageously be constituted in particular by at least one heating resistor 22, surmounted by means 23 for stirring the heated air. Such means are notably illustrated in Figures 2, 4 and 5.

In these various figures, the drying means 8 are arranged in the lower cavity 9 ′ of the drying tank 4 under the support basket 5 in order to facilitate the heat exchange and to promote drying.

The heating resistance is in particular of the immersible type in order to be able to resist humidity and constituted by a circular or corrugated coil, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 5 respectively.

The stirring means 23 are constituted by a fan 24 moved by a motor member 25. The stirring means 23 to 25 will be provided such that the air contained in the volume of the enclosure 4 is violently stirred which will blow the water and the water vapor towards the walls of the enclosure 4; the water and the condensation will be evacuated through orifices 26 provided in the lower part of the cavity 9 ′ of the drying tank 4. The circulation of air and the evacuation of the droplets are in particular illustrated by the arrows in the figure 4.

By way of example, good results are obtained for an enclosure with a volume substantially close to 0.220 mm 3 by raising the temperature to 50 ° C. using a regulated resistance of 3,000 watts and using a fan whose l 'propeller has a diameter substantially equal to 300 mm and rotates at a speed of the order of 3,000 revolutions / min.

However, the cleaning enclosure will have dimensions substantially close to that of drying which correspond also to good efficiency of the said rotary spraying means 18, 19. A treatment of the cards with cold or lukewarm water is carried out under such conditions effectively in a cycle of approximately 3 to 10 minutes.

In addition, the addition during the cleaning cycles of a saponifying product, by means of a metering pump, or other device, will also make it possible to clean welded cards with resinous fluxes.

Furthermore, the cleaning machine of the present invention will advantageously be equipped with a second basket for supporting objects so that, when a first basket is treated in the cleaning enclosure 3, a basket can be dried in masked time. already treated in the drying chamber 4.

Such a machine in this configuration allows the processing of 24 cards per cycle, which allows the processing per hour of approximately 120 cards.

However, the treatments will be carried out at a fixed station, which makes it possible to compact the machine despite a high rate of treatment. To authorize the handling of the baskets and to allow the transfer of the baskets and from one tank to the other, the said removable bells 12, 12 ′, forming the said upper cavities 10, 10 ′ of the enclosures 3, 4 are carried by operating means 27 thereof relative to the frame 2.

These means are illustrated by way of example in FIGS. 3, 4 and 6. They are in particular constituted by an upper bracket 28 on the boom of which the upper parts of the tanks 12, 12 ′ are secured; and a barrel 29 secured in turn to the frame 2.

The stem 28 and the barrel 29 are provided such that the stem can slide in the barrel, these two elements being subjected to the action of a control handle 30 particularly illustrated in FIG. 6.

This control handle 30 is constituted by different levers 31, 32, 33, articulated with one another at 34, and articulated at the top of the barrel for the levers 31 and 32 and at the level of the stem 28 as regards the lever 33 .

Thus, an operation up or down the control handle will allow a vertical translation of the bell respectively up or down.

As operating means 27, hydraulic jacks could be used, for example.

With regard to semi-automatic or automatic operation, the control and sequence of cycles are provided by a programmable controller or by an electronic control unit for example.

However, it should be noted that in certain cases it is recommended to clean the resinous flow with water to which an additive of the saponifying type has been added. The present invention may of course authorize such cleaning.

In this case, the machine will advantageously include means for authorizing the introduction of such additive products during the washing cycle, for example by means of an auxiliary pump.

Depending on the type of product and depending on its quantity in the water, it may be advantageous to provide a motorization, in particular at variable speed, of the two washing arms to compensate for the possible cavitation of the washing pump during the presence of foam.

In this case, the drive members will advantageously be placed outside the tank and will be connected to the washing arms via a rotating joint.

As for the upper arm, unlike the illustration in FIG. 3, the washing arm 19 will be fixed to the same part of the upper part of the bell 12, and the water supply will be made by an external flexible pipe and by rotary joints.

Such an arrangement will therefore allow cards to be cleaned using a saponifying agent without the foam caused possibly causing the spray pump to cavitate. In addition, the use of the variable speed of this motorization will be advantageous for causing a slow scanning of the cards in order to clean complex areas generated by the arrangement of the electronic components.

Naturally, other implementations of the present invention, within the reach of those skilled in the art, could have been envisaged without departing from the scope thereof. For example, we could completely mechanize the lifting system of the bells, as shown in Figure 6, using one or more pneumatic cylinders.

Similarly, those skilled in the art will be able, using a set of solenoid valves, to make sure that only one pump is used for washing and emptying.

Claims (10)

1. Machine for cleaning objects, such as electrical and / or electronic components, in particular arranged on a support of the “printed circuit” or similar type, in which said objects are subjected to cleaning and drying, characterized by the fact that it includes:
- two closed, independent treatment chambers (3, 4), the first enclosure (3) being equipped with means (7) for cleaning said objects, the second enclosure (4) being equipped with means (8) for drying said objects Cleaned objects,
- at least one support basket (5) for said objects to be cleaned, suitable for being placed in the first and / or second enclosure,
- Transfer means (6) of the support basket (5) from one enclosure to the other and / or vice versa (3, 4). 2. Cleaning machine according to claim 1, characterized in that the said closed and independent chambers (3, 4), each consist of a tank defining a lower cavity (9, 9 ′) and an upper cavity (10, 10 ′) delimited by a laying plane (11, 11 ′) of said basket (5) supporting said objects to be cleaned. 3. Cleaning machine according to claim 2, characterized in that the tanks (3, 4) are constituted on the one hand by a fixed frame (2) in which said lower cavities (9, 9 ′) are provided, and on the other hand by two removable bells (12, 12 ′), forming the said upper cavities (10, 10 ′), the said bells (12, 12 ′) being carried by operating means (30-34) relative to the frame (2). 4. Cleaning machine according to any one of claims 2 or 3, characterized in that said tanks (3, 4) are arranged side by side. 5. Machine according to claim 1, characterized in that the transfer means (6) consist at least of a rolling and / or sliding path (13-16) allowing the positioning of said support basket (5) d objects inside the cleaning chamber (3) then inside the drying chamber (4). 6. cleaning machine according to claim 2, characterized in that the said transfer means (6) define the said laying plane (11, 1 ′). 7. Cleaning machine according to claim 2, characterized in that the cleaning means (7) consist of at least one rotary cleaning arm (18 or 19), capable of spraying said objects which are subject to it at least with demineralized water, the said arm (18 or 19) being placed in the upper (10) or lower (9) cavity. 8. Cleaning machine according to claim 7, characterized in that the cleaning means (7) comprise two spray arms (18, 19) one arranged above, the other below objects to clean. 9. Cleaning machine according to claim 1, characterized in that the drying means (8) consist of at least one heating resistor (22) surmounted by means (23) of stirring the heated air. 10. Cleaning machine according to claim 2, characterized in that the said drying means (8) are arranged in the lower cavity (9 ′) of the drying tank (4).

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